Crag Rats
{{Short description|Oregon mountain rescue team}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Crag Rats
| image = MEMBERS OF THE OREGON CRAG RATS, A MOUNTAINEERS CLUB BASED AT HOOD RIVER. THEY ARE MAKING A SNOW SURVEY FOR THE SOIL... - NARA - 548152.jpg
| caption = Crag Rats wearing traditional black-and-white check flannels measure snow levels, 1973
| type = search and rescue
| tax_id =
| founded_date = 1926
| founder = A. L. Anderson
| location = Hood River, Oregon
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| area_served = Mount Hood and Columbia River Gorge
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The Crag Rats are the oldest volunteer mountain search and rescue organization in the United States.{{Cite book |last=Hill |first=Cheryl |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gt3lAgAAQBAJ&dq=crag+rats&pg=PA42 |title=Mount Hood National Forest |date=2014 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-4671-3120-9 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Santella |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lyvt1G9hczIC |title=Fifty Places to Hike Before You Die: Outdoor Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations |date=2012-11-16 |publisher=Abrams |isbn=978-1-61312-050-7 |language=en}} Based in Hood River, Oregon, the Crag Rats are an all-volunteer, nonprofit rescue agency that primarily covers Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge.{{Cite book |last=Hogfoss |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSOFEAAAQBAJ |title=Natural History of the Columbia River Gorge |date=2022-08-22 |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-1-6632-4260-0 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Bell |first=Jon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nyxPBAAAQBAJ |title=On Mount Hood: A Biography of Oregon's Perilous Peak |date=2011-05-03 |publisher=Sasquatch Books |isbn=978-1-57061-775-1 |language=en}}
History
As a charter member of the Mountain Rescue Association, they were founded in 1926 by A.L. Anderson,{{Cite news |date=23 August 1931 |title=CRAG RATS" RESCUE THE LOST; Like the Monks of St. Bernard Pass, They Are Always Ready to Endure Hardships in the Mountains |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/08/23/archives/crag-rats-rescue-the-lost-like-the-monks-of-st-bernard-pass-they.html}} a lumberman from Hood River, after a search for missing seven year old on Mt. Hood.{{Cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XycDAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22crag+rats%22&pg=PA22 |magazine=Popular Science |date=August 1935 |title=Thrilling Mountain Rescues Performed by a Unique Club }} Their name originates from a wife of a founding member, who stated that the men spent so much time on the crags of the mountain that they were like "crag rats".
Operations
Working under the direction of local authorities like the Hood River County Sheriff's office, they regularly conduct rescue operations for those lost, stranded, or injured in the popular recreation areas surrounding the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and Mount Hood National Forest. In 2022, they responded to over 50 search and rescue incidents just through September.{{Cite web |date=10 September 2022 |title=Record numbers in Hood River County search and rescue calls |url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/hood-river-county-search-and-rescue-call-at-record-numbers/283-54b8554b-4eb6-4910-8840-a1ae17279958 |access-date=2022-11-12 |website=kgw.com |publisher=KGW |language=en-US}} Since the 1950s, the club has maintained Cloud Cap Inn on the mountain as a base.{{Cite web |title=Cloud Cap Inn |url=https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/cloud_cap_inn/ |access-date=2022-11-12 |website=oregonencyclopedia.org |publisher=The Oregon Historical Society |language=en}}
References
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External links
- {{Official website|url=cragrats.org}}
Category:1926 establishments in Oregon
Category:Mountain rescue agencies
Category:Volunteer search and rescue organizations
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